Electrical Nail Polishing Apparatus

ABSTRACT

An electrical nail polishing apparatus is described which comprises an electrical nail polishing device and a plurality of releasably connectable heads, wherein the electrical nail polishing device comprises: a main body housing accommodating a power source electrically connected to a motor with a rotating shaft connected to a transmission gearing mechanism connected to a proximal end of a drive shaft, the transmission gearing mechanism is configured to convert the rotational motion of the rotating shaft into oscillating longitudinal movement of the drive shaft, the remote end of the drive shaft extends beyond a tip end of the housing, the tip end of the housing is configured to extend away from the main body housing by at least 2 mm to provide a face surface with a flat side at or adjacent a diameter line of the main body housing with the ends of the flat side being joined by a curved side having one or more radii; and wherein the releasably connectable head comprises: a landing plate which has one side provided with a nail contact material and the other side of the landing plate is provided with a head housing inboard of the periphery of the landing plate, the head housing is closed at a top end and open at a base end and is provided with a cavity that accepts the remote end of the drive shaft and the tip end of the housing therein and wherein the cavity corresponds to the shape of the tip end, within the cavity a socket is provided that is configured to releasably connect to the drive shaft, and wherein a landing plane is provided at the base end of the landing plate by the cavity end of the head housing being located at least 2 mm inboard from the base end of the landing plate.

The present invention relates to electrical nail polishing apparatus, and more particularly to an electrical nail polishing apparatus comprising a motorised electrical nail polishing device provided with a plurality of inter-changeable heads to impart at least one of a filing or abrasion effect to the surface of a nail, a buffing effect to the surface of a nail, or a polishing effect to the surface of a nail.

Electrical motorised nail polishing devices with interchangeable heads that can impart different effects in use are known. In operation a user would typically use the device as part of a three-stage process, firstly, the user would connect the filing head. The user would then activate the device and the motor causes the oscillating linear motion of the filing head and the user would apply the filing surface of the head to a finger nail or a toe nail to file the nail as required. The user would then deactivate the head and exchange the filing head for a separate buffing head. Similarly the user would then activate the device to cause oscillating linear motion of the buffing head and would apply this to the finger nail or toe nail as required. The user would then deactivate the head and exchange the buffing head for a separate polishing head. Lastly the user would then activate the device to cause oscillating linear motion of the polishing head and would apply this to the finger nail or toe nail as required and then deactivate the device. These known devices provide the oscillating linear motion at a high frequency to provide efficiency of use in filing/buffering/polishing the user's nail, one potential drawback is that due to the number of head changing operations required a user may inadvertently expose their nails to inaccurate filing/buffering/polishing should they incorrectly perform the head changing operation. The present invention seeks to address this and other drawbacks.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an electrical nail polishing apparatus comprising an electrical nail polishing device and a plurality of releasably connectable heads, wherein the electrical nail polishing device comprises: a main body housing accommodating a power source electrically connected to a motor with a rotating shaft connected to a transmission gearing mechanism connected to a proximal end of a drive shaft, the transmission gearing mechanism is configured to convert the rotational motion of the rotating shaft into oscillating longitudinal movement of the drive shaft, the remote end of the drive shaft extends beyond a tip end of the housing, the tip end of the housing is configured to extend away from the main body housing by at least 2 mm to provide a face surface with a flat side at or adjacent a diameter line of the main body housing with the ends of the flat side being joined by a curved side having one or more radii;

and wherein the releasably connectable head comprises: a landing plate which has one side provided with a nail contact material and the other side of the landing plate is provided with a head housing inboard of the periphery of the landing plate, the head housing is closed at a top end and open at a base end and is provided with a cavity that accepts the remote end of the drive shaft and the tip end of the housing therein and wherein the cavity corresponds to the shape of the tip end, within the cavity a socket is provided that is configured to releasably connect to the drive shaft, and wherein a landing plane is provided at the base end of the landing plate by the cavity end of the head housing being located at least 2 mm inboard from the base end of the landing plate.

The present invention offers numerous advantages over the prior art apparatuses, a principal advantage is the assurance that the releasably connectable head can only be attached to the drive shaft of the polishing device in a single orientation. The single orientation is facilitated by the landing plane of the landing plate which extends by at least 2 mm from the head housing at the base of the landing plate. To correctly orientate and connect the releasably connectable head to the polishing device a user will push the head such that the cavity swallows the remote end of the drive shaft to surround the tip end of the device housing such that the landing plane is adjacent to the flat side of the of the tip end which in turn will permit the cavity of the head housing to accommodate the tip by virtue of it corresponding shape. In contrast, if a user did not correctly orientate the releasably connectable head to the tip end of the polishing device prior to connection the landing plane will abut a part of the tip end of the device and prevent connection therebetween.

A further advantage provided by the landing plane is the provision of a greater surface area of the landing plate thus increasing the surface area of the nail contact material which may allow for improved nail polishing results for the user.

A yet further advantage provided by the landing plane is that it permits a greater proportion of the tip to be surrounded by the head which may afford improved stability during use when the user is imparting perpendicular force on the connection between the releasably connectable head and the polishing device during the act of polishing finger nail or toe nail.

Preferably the landing plane extends beyond the cavity end of the head housing from between 2 mm-10 mm, and more preferably extends from between 2 mm-7 mm, and even more preferably extends from between 3 mm-6 mm, and most preferably extends by 5 mm.

The head housing of the releasably connectable head is provided with a cavity that accepts the remote end of the drive shaft and the tip end of the housing therein and corresponds to the shape of the tip end wherein the clearance between an interior of the cavity and the tip end of the polishing device is between 1 mm-5 mm, and preferably between 1 mm-3 mm, and most preferably between 1 mm-2 mm.

The landing plate is preferably curved at its top end to facilitate more precise nail polishing.

The nail contact material preferably completely fills the surface area of the landing plate. The nail contact material may be a material that is suitable for imparting one of the following effects, namely; filing; buffing; or polishing.

The drive shaft protruding from the tip end of the housing may be provided with a collar, said collar being configured for releasable connection with the socket of the head housing, said releasable connection providing an audible click which may provide the user with confirmation that the correct connection has been made. Alternatively the drive shaft may be provided with a notch or the like removed therefrom and the socket of the head housing is configured for releasable connection with the notch, said releasable connection providing an audible click which may provide the user with confirmation that the correct connection has been made.

The tip end of the housing of the device preferably extends from the main body housing by between 2 mm-10 mm, and more preferably extends by between 2 mm-7 mm, and even more preferably extends by between 3 mm-6 mm, and most preferably extends by 6 mm.

An intermediate housing may be provided between the tip end and the main body housing, and where the intermediate housing is provided, the tip end extends away from the intermediate housing rather than the main body housing. The intermediate housing may be provided with a tapered surface and may be provided with a cap engagement means.

A cap may be provided with a cavity of sufficient volume to accommodate a releasably connectable head connected to the drive shaft of the device therein and said cap may be sized engage with the cap engagement means of the intermediate housing to releasably secure the cap to the device.

The device may be provided with a sliding switch to permit a user to select the operating parameters of the apparatus. The sliding switch may have two positions defining “on” and “off”. Preferably the sliding switch is provided with more than two positions, a first position defining “off” and other positions being “on” at differing speeds to allow a user to define the preferred frequency of movement for the particular action they wish to impart to their nail, such as filing, buffering or polishing.

Preferably the entirety of the sliding switch when in an “off” position is located within the boundaries defined by a perimeter of the main body housing and when the switch is in the one or more “on” positions at least a portion of the switch is located over the intermediate housing and/or the tip end of the housing. In this preferred arrangement the cap may be configured to cause, during the operation of connecting the cap to the intermediate housing, the switch to move from an “on” position to an “off” position, thus improving the safety of the device and ensure the conservation of the power consumption of the device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a releasably connectable head for releasable connection to an electrical nail polishing device wherein the electrical nail polishing device comprises: a main body housing accommodating a power source electrically connected to a motor with a rotating shaft connected to a transmission gearing mechanism connected to a proximal end of a drive shaft, the transmission gearing mechanism is configured to convert the rotational motion of the rotating shaft into oscillating longitudinal movement of the drive shaft, the remote end of the drive shaft extends beyond a tip end of the housing, the tip end of the housing is configured to extend away from the main body housing by at least 2 mm to provide a face surface with a flat side at or adjacent a diameter line of the main body housing with the ends of the flat side being joined by a curved side having one or more radii;

and wherein the releasably connectable head comprises: a landing plate which has one side provided with a nail contact material and the other side of the landing plate is provided with a head housing inboard of the periphery of the landing plate, the head housing is closed at a top end and open at a base end and is provided with a cavity that accepts the remote end of the drive shaft and the tip end of the housing therein and wherein the cavity corresponds to the shape of the tip end, within the cavity a socket is provided that is configured to releasably connect to the drive shaft, and wherein a landing plane is provided at the base end of the landing plate by the cavity end of the head housing being located at least 2 mm inboard from the base end of the landing plate.

Preferably the landing plane extends beyond the cavity end of the head housing from between 2 mm-10 mm, and more preferably extends from between 2 mm-7 mm, and even more preferably extends from between 3 mm-6 mm, and most preferably extends by 5 mm.

The head housing of the releasably connectable head is provided with a cavity that accepts the remote end of the drive shaft and the tip end of the housing therein and corresponds to the shape of the tip end wherein the clearance between an interior of the cavity and the tip end of the polishing device is between 1 mm-5 mm, and preferably between 1 mm-3 mm, and most preferably between 1 mm-2 mm.

The landing plate is preferably curved at its top end to facilitate more precise nail polishing.

The nail contact material preferably completely fills the surface area of the landing plate. The nail contact material may be a material that is suitable for imparting one of the following effects, namely; filing; buffing; or polishing.

The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an end on view of the tip end of a nail polishing device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a nail polishing device according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a nail polishing apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of a nail polishing apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a plan view of a nail polishing apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a releasably connectable head apparatus according to the present invention; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of a releasably connectable head apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1&2, an electrical nail polishing device 1 is shown. The device 1 has a main body housing 2 which is sized to accommodate a power source (not shown) such as one or more batteries, the power source is electrically connected to a motor (not shown). The motor is provided with a rotating shaft (not shown) connected to a transmission gearing mechanism (not shown) which is configured to drive a proximal end of a drive shaft 3. The transmission gearing mechanism is configured, in use, to convert the rotational motion of the rotating shaft into oscillating longitudinal movement of the drive shaft 3, the remote end 4 of the drive shaft 3 extends beyond a tip end 5 of the housing 2, the tip end 5 of the housing is configured to extend away from the main body housing 2 by at least 2 mm to provide a face surface 6 with a flat side 7 at or adjacent a diameter line of the main body housing 2 with the ends of the flat side 7 being joined by a curved side 8 having one or more radii. An intermediate housing 9 is provided between the tip end 5 and the main body housing 2.

The tip end 5 of the housing of the device preferably extends from the intermediate housing 9 by between 2 mm-10 mm, and in FIG. 2 the tip end 5 is shown as extending by about 6 mm.

The intermediate housing 9 is provided with a tapered surface 10 and is shown with a cap engagement means 11 at the border with the main body housing. A cap (not shown) may be provided sized to engage with the cap engagement means 11 of the intermediate housing 9 to releasably secure the cap to the device 1.

A sliding switch 12 is provided to permit a user to select the operating parameters of the device 1, the sliding switch 12 may have two positions defining “on” and “off” but preferably is provided with more than two positions, a first position defining “off” and other positions being “on” at differing speeds to allow a user to define the preferred frequency of movement for the particular action they wish to impart to their nail, such as filing, buffering or polishing, in use.

Turning to FIGS. 6&7, a releasably connectable head 13 is illustrated. The head 13 has a landing plate 14 which has one side provided with a nail contact material 15 and the other side of the landing plate 14 is provided with a head housing 16 inboard of the periphery of the landing plate 17. The head housing 16 is closed at a top end 18 and open at a base end 19 and is provided with a cavity (not shown) that accepts the remote end of the drive shaft 4 tip end 5 of the housing therein and the cavity corresponds to the shape of the tip end 5. Within the cavity a socket (not shown) is provided that is configured to releasably connect to the remote end of the drive shaft 4.

A landing plane 20 is provided at the base end 19 of the landing plate 14 by the cavity end of the head housing 16 being located at least 2 mm inboard from the base end 19 of the landing plate 14.

The landing plane 20 extends beyond the cavity end of the head housing from between 2 mm-10 mm, and is shown in FIGS. 6&7 to extend by about 5 mm.

The cavity accepts the remote end of the drive shaft 4 and the tip end 5 of the housing therein and corresponds to the shape of the tip end wherein the clearance between an interior of the cavity and the tip end 5 is between 1 mm-5 mm, and shown in FIGS. 3-5 as between about 1 mm-2 mm.

The landing plate 14 is curved at its top end 18 to facilitate more precise nail polishing.

The nail contact material 15 completely fills the surface area of the landing plate 14. The nail contact material 15 may be a material that is suitable for imparting one of the following effects, namely; filing; buffing; or polishing.

Turning to FIGS. 3-5 an electrical nail polishing apparatus 21 is shown comprising an electrical nail polishing device 1 with a releasably connectable head 13 releasably connected thereto. As can be seen, the releasably connectable head 13 can only be attached to the remote end of the drive shaft 4 of the polishing device 2 in a single orientation. The single orientation is facilitated by the landing plane 20 of the landing plate 14 which extends by at least 2 mm from the head housing 16 at the base 19 of the landing plate. To correctly orientate and connect the releasably connectable head 13 to the polishing device 2 a user will push the head 13 such that the cavity swallows the drive shaft 4 and surrounds the tip end 5 of the device housing such that the landing plane 20 is adjacent to the flat side 7 of the of the tip end 5 which in turn will permit the cavity to accommodate the tip 5 by virtue of its corresponding shape. In contrast, if a user did not correctly orientate the releasably connectable head 13 to the tip end 5 of the polishing device prior to connection the landing plane 20 will abut a part of the tip end 5 of the device and prevent connection therebetween. 

1. An electrical nail polishing apparatus comprising: an electrical nail polishing device; and a releasably connectable head; wherein the electrical nail polishing device comprises: a main body housing accommodating a power source electrically connected to a motor with a rotating shaft connected to a transmission gearing mechanism connected to a proximal end of a drive shaft, the transmission gearing mechanism configured to convert the rotational motion of the rotating shaft into oscillating longitudinal movement of the drive shaft, the remote end of the drive shaft extending beyond a tip end of the housing, the tip end of the housing configured to extend away from the main body housing to provide a face surface with a flat side at or adjacent a diameter line of the main body housing with the ends of the flat side being joined by a curved side having one or more radii; and wherein the releasably connectable head comprises: a landing plate which has one side provided with a nail contact material and the other side of the landing plate provided with a head housing inboard of the periphery of the landing plate, the head housing closed at a top end and open at a base end and provided with a cavity that accepts the remote end of the drive shaft and the tip end of the housing therein and wherein the cavity corresponds to the shape of the tip end, wherein within the cavity a socket is provided that is configured to releasably connect to the drive shaft, and wherein a landing plane is provided at the base end of the landing plate by the cavity end of the head housing being located inboard from the base end of the landing plate.
 2. The electrical nail polishing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the landing plane extends beyond the cavity end of the head housing from between 2 mm-10 mm.
 3. The electrical nail polishing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the clearance between an interior of the cavity and the tip end of the polishing device is between 1 mm-5 mm.
 4. The electrical nail polishing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the nail contact material completely fills the surface area of the landing plate.
 5. The electrical nail polishing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the nail contact material is suitable for imparting an effect selected from the group consisting of filing, buffing, and polishing.
 6. The electrical nail polishing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the drive shaft protruding from the tip end of the housing is provided with a collar configured for releasable connection with the socket of the head housing.
 7. The electrical nail polishing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the drive shaft is provided with a notch removed therefrom and the socket of the head housing is configured for releasable connection with the notch.
 8. The electrical nail polishing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the tip end of the housing of the device extends from the main body housing by between 2 mm-10 mm.
 9. The electrical nail polishing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein an intermediate housing is provided between the tip end and the main body housing, and where the intermediate housing is provided, the tip end extends away from the intermediate housing rather than the main body housing and the intermediate housing is provided with a tapered surface and provided with a cap engagement means.
 10. The electrical nail polishing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a cap is provided with a cavity of sufficient volume to accommodate a releasably connectable head connected to the drive shaft of the device therein and the cap is sized to engage with the cap engagement means of the intermediate housing to releasably secure the cap to the device.
 11. A releasably connectable head for releasable connection to an electrical nail polishing device comprising: a landing plate; nail contact material; a head housing having a top end and a base end; and a landing plane; wherein the landing plate has one side provided with the nail contact material and the other side of the landing plate is provided with the head housing inboard of the periphery of the landing plate; wherein the head housing is closed at the top end and open at the base end and is provided with a cavity that accepts a remote end of a drive shaft of an electrical nail polishing device and a tip end of a housing of an electrical nail polishing device therein; wherein the cavity corresponds to the shape of a tip end of a housing of an electrical nail polishing device, and within the cavity a socket is provided that is configured to releasably connect to a drive shaft of an electrical nail polishing device; and wherein the landing plane is provided at the base end of the landing plate by the cavity end of the head housing being located at least 2 mm inboard from the base end of the landing plate.
 12. The releasably connectable head according to claim 11, wherein the landing plane extends beyond the cavity end of the head housing from between 2 mm-10 mm.
 13. The releasably connectable head according to claim 11, wherein the clearance between an interior of the cavity and the tip end of an electrical nail polishing device is between 1 mm-5 mm.
 14. The releasably connectable head according to claim 11, wherein the landing plate is curved at its top end.
 15. The releasably connectable head according to claim 11, wherein the nail contact material completely fills the surface area of the landing plate.
 16. The releasably connectable head according to claim 11, wherein the nail contact material is suitable for imparting an effect selected from the group consisting of filing, buffing, and polishing.
 17. The electrical nail polishing apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a plurality of releasably connectable heads.
 18. The electrical nail polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the releasably connectable head can only be attached to the drive shaft of the electrical nail polishing device in a single orientation.
 19. The electrical nail polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tip end of the housing is configured to extend away from the main body housing by at least 2 mm; and wherein the landing plane is provided at the base end of the landing plate by the cavity end of the head housing being located at least 2 mm inboard from the base end of the landing plate.
 20. The electrical nail polishing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the drive shaft comprises one of: a collar configured for releasable connection with the socket of the head housing, the releasable connection providing an audible click; and a notch removed therefrom, and the socket of the head housing configured for releasable connection with the notch, the releasable connection providing an audible click. 